March 31, 2011 written while in Washington, DC
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| when i arrived in DC |
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| a week and a half later |
Cherry Blossoms
If I didn’t stay an extra week in DC I would have just missed them. They bloom gloriously and then almost as instantly as they emerge, they quickly disappear. Being at the right place at the right time allows thousands of visitors the chance to partake in their beauty during the short window of time. If I was passing through a week before or after, I would have missed them and may not have had the opportunity to see them again.
“I’m sorry,” I said as I walked on
Last week I walked by a homeless woman in DC who said she was hungry. “I’m sorry,” I said as I walked on. I was meeting a few friends and I didn’t want to be late. The whole time I was struck by what she said and my response. “I’m sorry,” was heartfelt, however, I had the resources to buy her food but I just walked on. Would I let God interrupt my life or just walk on? I couldn’t let go of this one. Once my friend showed up, I walked back to see if she was still there and I offered to buy her a meal, which I did. That likely did not cure her poverty but it did provide her with a warm meal when she may have gone without. I wish I could have said I did the same thing a couple days later when I was walking to a metro and a man was walking too and said he was hungry. I said, “I’m sorry” as I walked on. My excuse this time being that I didn’t know that particular area and didn’t know where or how to go to buy him food. This happened in passing and I never went back. While I initially hesitated with the woman and then went back, I potentially missed an opportunity to demonstrate Jesus’ love to the man in the metro that I can never get back. I wasn’t late for anything that day as I walked by him, but I rather let the question “How?” cripple my response.
The Enemy “How?”
The question “How?” must be one of the biggest enemies in responding to the voice of the Spirit in so many areas. That question held me back from responding to the man who was hungry and actually “being” a Christian in that moment. I sometimes wonder how many people, friends, or others I pass by each day who don’t have the bold courage that these two had to say that they were hungry and needed help. And so many other times I admit that I have let the question “How?” steal away my faith.
Instant Response
If we don’t act instantly in certain situations where we feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit, will we ever get those opportunities back? There are definite times when people around me are fully open to God, and other times when they are closed. I think there is something to say about acting instantly when we feel the leading of the Holy Spirit. Just as there is one week out of the year that the cherry blossoms come out, there are specific times that if we respond to the leading of the Spirit in that moment we will see great and beautiful things. If we hesitate or carry on without responding in that instant or if we ask “How?”, we just might miss the opportunities that He has set before us. I got lucky in that the lady was still there when I finally resolved to respond to her need. Many times from my own experiences, moments of hesitation in responding to the Spirit’s leading have resulted in those opportunities being lost.
Peter’s Eyes Opened
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| after the lame man was healed |
When the Spirit opened Peter’s eyes to recognize the lame man on the way to the temple, he acted instantly in faith and the man could walk (Acts 3:1-10). What if Peter continued on, hesitated, or asked why? If he came back a week later, would that window of opportunity in the Spirit have been there, would the lame man still have been healed?
Taking the Promised Land
When Joshua and Caleb saw what the other Israelites could also see, they recognized that God was giving them that land in that instant, they simply needed to act (Numbers 13-15). The Israelites hesitated, the timing was right but they asked the question “How?” rather than trusted that God had already given them the land. Had they acted instantly on God’s faithfulness and leading, they would have inherited the Promised Land. Instead, they hesitated, struggled with the question “How?” rather than immediately following the voice of God which would have led them into their destiny. By the time the Israelites came to their senses, it was too late, their window of opportunity (or, the week that the cherry blossoms had emerged) was over. Yes, they finally mustered up enough faith to believe God was truly giving them the land so they presumptuously thought that they could go and fight to take hold of it. However, their window of opportunity to take hold of their destiny had passed them by and in that situation, many died when they carried on in their own way, others were confined to die in desert. Joshua and Caleb’s faith carried them through that 40 years to lead a new generation into the land when the next window of opportunity was presented. The next generation did not hesitate as their forefathers did and because they acted in God’s timing to take hold of the land, they successfully overcame their enemies and inhabited the Promised Land.
Walking the Plank
From my personal journey with God and trying to follow His leading, I have noticed that there are special times when He wants to do wonderful things in my own life but if I harden my heart, ask the question “How?”, don’t make the time, or hesitate in some other way, many times the precious work He wanted to do in and through me passes away, sometimes never to return. It could be as simple as feeling a nudge to offer to pray for someone but because of fear that they will reject me I say no. Who knows if I will ever see that person again or what mighty things God may have wanted to accomplish in that moment. I am learning and desperately trying to be in step with the Spirit so that I say “Yes” even if I don’t understand, if I know others won’t understand, trusting that He is for me and will direct me and that the more I take risks to quickly respond to what I believe is His leading, I will discern more and more effectively when it is His leading or my own thoughts.
Today is a New Day!
While I have plenty of missed opportunities that I may never be able to get back, today is a new day, the cherry trees are blossoming today and I will see and smell and enjoy them. Let us choose to embrace all the special seasons and leadings of the Spirit in our lives from this day forward. When the cherry trees blossom around us, let us act instantly, take the time to go out and explore and enjoy them, for they will soon disappear. God wants us to enjoy, partake, and participate in all that He has for us in every moment and season of our lives. Let us lovingly, willingly, and instantly yield to the Spirit’s leading this day.
If you would like to hear more on this in a talk I gave in relation to some of the themes above, go to Walking in Our Destiny. To read a true account of how Carrie Judd Montgomery responded to the leading of the Spirit when she was just in her early 20’s which had a profound effect on the rest of her life, see Faith in the Midst of the Credit Crunch
